THE DAILY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011

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FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011

http://www.democraticwhip.gov/sites/def ... 011911.pdf

House Meets At:First Vote Predicted:Last Vote Predicted:
10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business

Fifteen “One Minutes” per side5:00 – 6:00 p.m.7:00 p.m.

Complete Consideration of H.R. 2 – Patients’ Rights Repeal Act (Rep. Cantor - Education and the Workforce/Energy and Commerce/Ways and Means) The House began debate on H.R. 2 yesterday, and completed 2 hours of general debate. The House has 5 hours of debate remaining on the legislation and is expected to complete consideration today. The Rule provides for one motion to recommit, with instructions.
H.R. 2 would repeal the Affordable Care Act, which was enacted into law last year. Repeal of the legislation would have numerous effects, including:
Increasing the Deficit. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, adoption of H.R. 2 would increase the deficit by $230 billion over ten years, and over $1 trillion in the second ten years.
Putting Insurance Companies Back in Charge of Your Health Care. Adoption of H.R. 2 would eliminate the ban on discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, eliminate the ban on annual and lifetime limits, eliminate the requirement that insurance companies spend 80-85% of your premium dollars on benefits, and eliminate the ability of young adults to stay on their parents’ coverage through their 26th birthday.
Worsening Medicare Solvency. According to the Medicare Actuaries, the Affordable Care Act extended the solvency of Medicare by an estimated 12 years. Adoption of H.R. 2 would accelerate the insolvency of Medicare – as well as increase drug costs for seniors in the donut hole, increase deductibles and co-pays for preventive services, and eliminate new benefits like annual wellness exams.
TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
The House GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule: On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to consider H.Res. 9 - Instructing certain committees to report legislation replacing the Affordable Care Act (1 hour of debate). Last votes are expected around noon to accommodate the Democratic Issues Conference.

The Daily Quote
“[Health care reform] is not the bill that [Republicans] would have written, it is not the bill that I would have drafted. But it is the law of the land and it is the platform, the fundamental platform, upon which all future efforts to make that system better, for that patient, for that family, will be based. And that is a fact…The bill has many strong elements, and those elements, whatever happens, need to be preserved, need to be cuddled, need to be snuggled, need to be promoted and need to be implemented…”

- Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) 1/18/11




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